Cunningness And Deception In Shakespeare's Hamlet

One must always be weary of the truth because it is quite often manipulated to serve the needs of any person who requires that the truth be on their side. Quite often, the only way to discern the truth from the fiction is by way of a deceptive act, because an act of deception always exposes both its self and the truth to be two quite different things. Nowhere is this more true than in William Shakespeare's, Hamlet. One of the major themes in the play is in fact, deception. This central theme is expressed throughout the play in three major forms: the fear of being deceived, the act of deception, and the ultimate result of the deceptive act. The first facet of the deceptive

William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Hamlet relays Hamlet’s quest to avenge the murder of his father, the king of Denmark. The late King Hamlet was murdered by his brother, Claudius, who took the throne and Hamlet’s mother Gertrude for himself. Hamlet is beseeched by the ghost of his father to take vengeance upon Claudius; while he swears to do so, the prince inexplicably delays killing Claudius for months on end. Hamlet’s feeble attempt to first confirm his uncle’s guilt with a play that recounts the murder and his botched excuses for not killing Claudius when the opportunity arises serve as testimony to Hamlet’s true self. Hamlet is riddled with doubt towards the validity of the ghost and his own ability to carry out the act necessary to

In William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, the overwhelming use and manipulation of false appearances in politics is made abundantly clear. No matter their motives, it is apparent that all high ranking individuals within Danish society, those such as Claudius, Polonius and Hamlet, often employ lies as mechanisms to slyly accomplish their motives while hiding their true intentions from the public. These characters do not see deceit as immoral, but rather as a legitimate tactic to support their self interests and thus disregard the inevitable ramifications that exist in manipulating others to serve as their political pawns. However, deceit only works in the short term, and for each of these individuals, their own actions bring about their eventual deaths.

In the play Hamlet, deception is a major factor in the cause of the deaths of all those who die in the play, including Hamlet himself. The following paragraphs will outline the deception involved in the deaths of various characters including: Polonius, Gertrude, Laertes, Ophelia, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and Old Hamlet; as well as the downfall of the antagonist and protagonist: Claudius and Hamlet themselves.

In Hamlet, Shakespeare uses deception and lying, which leads to the death of the characters. In Hamlet, Claudius keeps a secret from everybody about killing King Hamlet. Hamlet starts spying to see if Claudius was guilty, and Polonius spied on his family members. All of these characters used some sort of deception which leads up to their tragic deaths.

   The legendary drama, Hamlet, written by William Shakespeare is a play illustrating the theme of virtue vs. villainy. The 17th century tragedy is plagued with treachery and deceit as it opens with the news of a foul murder in the kingdom of Denmark. Prince Hamlet, by word of his late father's ghost, is informed that his uncle Claudius is to blame for his father's sudden demise. Prince Hamlet's mission is to uncover the secrets surrounding the murder and to avenge his father's death. Thus, the insidious web of disease and corruption is formed. The relationship between disease leading to the greater corruption of Denmark plays a significant role in the lives of the principle players.

It is a tragedy when a great man speaks the devils truth; it is even more tragic when the devils truth is believed by everyone. In Williams Shakespeare’s, Hamlet secrecy is a common theme between most characters leading to their death. This play written in 1599-1601 tells a story about a fallen King named Hamlet senior and his son Hamlet junior’s life. This story also follows the kingship of Claudius, Hamlet’s uncle and murderer of Hamlet senior. Surrounded by death and misery this is a tale of a family who has felt the deep consequences of deceit by the hands of a powerful figure. When a man of great capabilities keeps secret, lies and lack communication it affect the ones around them. The first instance is when Claudius and Polonius keep

In the play Hamlet, The king of Denmark’s brother, Claudius, poisoned the king and married the queen; Hamlets mother, Gertrude. During Claudius’s coronation two guards and Hamlet’s friend, Horatio, were haunted by the king of Denmark’s ghost while standing

The play “Hamlet” by Shakespeare is a story of a prince named Hamlet, that feels the need to discover the truth about his father’s death. Hamlet has an uncle, Claudius, who takes the throne by marring his mother; the queen. An apparition of Hamlet’s deceased father tells him at the beginning of the play, that Claudius killed him. Appearance versus reality is one of the main themes that is consistent throughout the whole story. Many of the characters that are introduced within the play appear to be genuine and trustworthy, but in reality they are devious and deceitful. The characters in the play which are dishonest are, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, Polonius, and the king Claudius. All of these characters appear to be honourable, pure, and moral,

In conclusion, deception and immoral behaviors can be detected in multiple occasions in the play Hamlet by William Shakespeare. Deception is evident in almost every character in the play, and it is demonstrated through all the lies that were told. Also, the critical element of integrity is also clearly missing from the play, and is proven from the immoral decisions and acts committed by main characters in the play. Proving that there is neither honesty, nor integrity in the play

The most crucial request Hamlet had to execute was seeking the revenge for his father; although it took him longer than expected he was ultimately successful. Up until the appearance of the Ghost, no one other than Claudius truly knew how the King had died. It was more of repugnance than a shock to Hamlet at “If thou hast nature in thee, bear it no. / Let not the royal bed of Denmark be/ A couch for luxury and damned incest.” (3.4. 88-90). Never did Hamlet imagine that the death of his father would be caused by the hands of his Claudius. It was hard for Hamlet to swallow the thought of the corruption that was taking place in Denmark and although he was not in favor of it, he knew he had

William Shakespeare’s skillfully written play, Hamlet, is constructed through emphasis on events of tragedy and revenge taken afterwards; but it is also the deceptive lies each character possesses towards one another that take part in a huge role in Hamlet. Shakespeare has used the idea of deception as a foundation for most of his plays, whether it be destruction of other characters or self inflicted. Throughout the play, characters are seen plotting against one another and causing loads of tension to build up towards each other. It adds dramatic pressure on each character’s relationship, but it also uncovers the truth to everyone’s lies. The character who is most notable for his deceptious disease is Hamlet himself. His display of insanity, plan to catch King Claudius, and his actions towards Ophelia illustrate his deceptive behavior in Hamlet.

On a dark night, the deceased king’s shadow walked among the Elsinore castle when spotted by watchmen and scholar, Horatio, who immediately reported to Prince Hamlet who then went looking for him and when he saw the ghost of the king, he told his son that his brother, Claudius, killed him to gain the throne and marry his wife, Gertrude. He promised to avenge his father and delayed entering deep melancholy and madness which was when his uncle and his newly married wife got worried about Hamlet’s behavior, they sent Hamlet’s two friends, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, to look after him and see what the reason was. When the Lord Chamberlain, Polonius, suggested Hamlet was madly in love with his daughter Ophelia, so Claudius agreed to spy on Hamlet, but found no trace of any love, instead he decided to ban marriages and force Ophelia into nunnery. Then, one night, a group of actors came into Elsinore and Hamlet had the idea of having a play that demonstrates the way he think his father was murdered, and right when the part came up, Claudius left the room. He and Horatio agree that Claudius certainly murdered his father, but when Hamlet went to kill him, Claudius was in prayer which means if he dies he’ll go to heaven, so Hamlet decided to wait, but the king fearing his own safety, ordered Hamlet to England at once! So Hamlet decided to see his mother, and hearing a noise behind the tapestry, he thought it was the king, but ended up killing Polonius, so the king sent him to

Secrecy, deception, and duplicity are significant words that express Hamlet’s on-going madness. One of many forms of Hamlet’s madness lies within his deceitful actions that escalate from Claudius’s murderous attempt on Old Hamlet. As the play develops, readers may acknowledge suspicious and wariness atmospheres as Hamlet seeks to find confirmation and evidence against Claudius’s ferocious act. Hamlet’s deceitfulness is abundant and can be recognized throughout the play. His intention to justify his uncle’s murderous act involves deceitful planning and duplicitous mindset. There are abundant of examples relating to Hamlet’s on-going madness. Events and scenes that suggest Hamlet’s deceitful state of mind are embedded within multiple soliloquies that

“Do not steal. Do not lie. Do not deceive one another.”(Leviticus 19:11), within the holy bible the act and often consequences of lying appear; whether in passages or the ten commandments the consensus is don’t lie. However, inside the play ‘Hamlet’ by Shakespeare, lying and deceiving others is commonplace. ‘Hamlet’ takes place during the middle ages, in a protestant Denmark. While the characters often worry about their eventual place in the afterlife, it doesn’t stop any of them from being dishonest or deceitful. When Marcellus says “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark”(1.4.90), he’s right and Shakespeare uses the characters actions and their inevitable deaths to show us that deceit and lies are what is rotten in Denmark.